Thursday, February 8, 2018

Night Shift Mode in iPhone and how it could improve Your sleep

We sometimes or maybe always use our phones before we sleep, although we have tried hard to kick the habit. This so called habit of ours leads to us getting very bad sleep. Our phone screens emit a light known as blue light that helps us see the screen in bright sunlight. This feature seems to work in the night also. Blue light has a way of affecting our melatonin production which causes us to get very bad sleep in the night. iPhone’s night shift mode hopes to change all that.

The blue light that phones emit in the night causes our brain to get mixed signals and that is when our melatonin production is affected. Melatonin is a hormone that gives our body sleep cues. Without it, we have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep leading to a host of health problems. With iOS 9.3’s night shift mode the blue light on the iPhone screen is toned down.

How Blue Light Affects the Brain and how night shift mode helps us?

Blue light basically affects an individual’s melatonin production that makes it difficult to not only get sleep but also to stay asleep. But the blue light on our screens can harm us in other ways too. By not getting proper sleep your neurotoxin levels are affected and this in turn will make it even harder for a person to fall asleep.

Not getting a good night’s rest will affect your memory in the long run and make it harder to remember things too. The blue light in our phones, by affecting melatonin production, also takes a toll on our mental health. Besides being fatigued, low melatonin levels increase the chances of depression.

Causing disruption to melatonin levels will in fact affect other hormones too such as those that control hunger causing associated problems like obesity. The other problems that can result from the harmful blue light could be cataract, cancer and could also affect the retina in a person’s eye.

iPhone users that can’t use F.lux, a feature that allows you to tone down blue light levels when needed, don’t need toworry. With iOS 9.3, users get something that is known as night shift mode. With night shift mode a user can control the blue light setting on your iPhone. Night shift mode allows you to set a timing when your phone will start dimming the blue light emitting from the phone.

The screen becomes warmer as the blue light is dimmed by the night shift mode on the phone. Many users who updated to iOS 9.3 feel their eyes less stressed with the night shift mode. Although how much the night shift mode is going to help a person sleep when they have other sleep related problems is anyone’s guess.

Anxiety, stress related issues and other problems from using a phone at night all can affect an individual’s sleep pattern, this makes it difficult to see whether the night shift mode is effective or not.

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Apple is making the feature to slowdown the battery on iPhone an optional

After dealing with huge backlash for slowing down the iPhone Apple has decided to bring new software which will make this feature optional. This update will effectively result in switching off the “battery saver” feature which was the major cause of slowing down some of the Apple models. This option will be made available in the following smartphone models namely iPhone 6+, 6 Plus along with the S editions as well as smaller iPhone SE model. This would also be applicable for the iPhone 7 and 7Plus editions.

Apple has to deal with huge backlash month for slowing down the smartphones deliberately and it has apologized for the same. Customers and fans were angry with the Apple for not accepting this fault and before its discovery were made. Over the years it was suspected that Apple used to deliberately slow down some of its devices in order to push the need to upgrade.

Apple has maintained that it has slowed down some of the phones due to their ageing batteries and it was done in a bid to prolong the life of the iPhone devices. Users will get the ability to get rid of the battery performance throttling on these models with upcoming iOS 11.3 software update. With this update users will get the ability to switch off the battery saver on their iPhone. Apple has asserted that battery saver feature was designed to ringing dynamic management of the resources on the iPhone to offer maximum performance in order to prevent any kind of unexpected shutdowns.

Apple understands that its battery management code will remain under close scrutiny by the computer engineers, fans and tech enthusiasts in the upcoming days. Therefore Apple will be showing more information related to the battery and any kind of the path to the code will be displayed instantly.

Drop in price for the battery replacement

Simply by replacing the battery on their iPhone, users will be able to get same old performance without any issues. Apple has stated that it will be lowering the price for the out-of-warranty batter replacement service from hefty $79 to just $29. This price drop is available for the iPhone users in the US territory and it is applicable for devices like iPhone 6 and later models. Similarly in UK Apple has lowered the price from £79 to £25. A number of tech enthusiasts has complained that the issue related to the battery performance issue is quite rampant across the varied iPhone variants present in the market and it is a cause of concerns for millions of users worldwide.

As the long standing myth Apple deliberately goes on slowing down it older devices in order to boost the sales of the new one has been busted. Apple has come under scrutiny of the regulators, fans and customers therefore it is actively indulging in offering as many options as possible to enhance their battery performance on the iPhone models.

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Do you have the new iPhone yet? Chances are, if you are if you are all about Apple than you do have the new iPhone. Next question, have you ever had to take your iPhone into a cell phone repair shop? If you ever had to use the services of a repair shop than you are aware of the high cost to fix your iPhone if it were to ever break. What can you do to avoid the high cost of cell phone repairs? Don’t break your phone. How can you go about using your phone every day and not run the risk of something happening to it? It is all in how you take care of it. If you want your iPhone to last, then you need to take preventive measures in order to keep your phone safe and out of the repair shop. According to an article, dropping your iPhone can result in a non functioning phone. Like with anything of high value, if you keep your investment safe and protected than it can last a long time. So, how can you keep your iPhone safe while still using it every day? The first thing you want to do is to always keep your iPhone in a purse or pocket when it is not in use. Keeping your iPhone on the table can result in it slipping to the floor. In case you do leave it on the table, you should be sure that you always keep it in a protective case with a little bit of rubber. A rubberized case will prevent it from slipping and act as a shock absorber in case it does fall on the ground. Finally, be sure that you install a screen protector on the phone’s touchscreen. Screen protectors prevent scratches on the glass as well as prevents cracks if it were to fall to the ground. Taking care of your iPhone just makes sense if you want to keep it out of the repair shop.

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Tuesday, November 28, 2017

A smart way to get rid of storage troubles on the 16 GB or 32 GB iPhone variants

When it comes to storage Android devices reigns supreme over the iPhone counterparts as it lacks the ability to enhance the storage. Apple has tried to offer some relief to the consumers by offering an incredibly higher storage option in the 2017 range of iPhone smartphones. But there are millions of users who are still stuck with the lower iPhone storage in form of 16 GB and 32 GB variants. Most of the users find it frustrating to deal with the ‘low storage’ alerts when trying to take a from their camera app.

It is widely known that Apple doesn’t allow users to increase the storage by not having a miscroSD card slot on the device. Therefore users have to either move all the media content to the cloud or transfer to another storage device or simply has to delete old photos, videos and podcasts to pave way for new apps or content. However it isn’t the end of the world for the iPhone users as number of external microSD card devices are emerged on the horizon which aims to offer unlimited storage options.

Two devices to try for additional storage

One such device which can you in boosting iPhone storage is Leef iAcess MicroSD reader for iOS which retails at just $A 65. This offers a pathway to the ‘infinite memory’ on an iPhone without costing a fortune. This device wrap around the back of the iPhone without obstructing the front view as much as possible. If you don’t want to get a humpy device protruding at the back of your iPhone then opt for a wireless media hub which basically uses Wi-Fi connection to do same thing.

Investing in 1TB Western Digital My Passport Wireless external hardrive for a price tag of $220 will help in getting massive iPhone storage. It is compact external hard drive in shape of a small square which can be easily carried around to back up not just your iPhone but also iPad, iPod and other devices. It is worth mentioning that Apple also offers portable drivers on its website which does the same thing.

Another smart way to boost your storage

The best way to keep more space available at all times for new apps and media content is to get the Apple’s cloud storage service. Users can make use of the Apple’s Optimize Storage setting in order to transfer the full resolution photos on the iCloud and keeping the internal storage free. In order to enable this feature simply to the Settings followed by iCloud and Photos.

Videos are known to be biggest storage hogs on a smartphone so when it comes to iPhone storage having high resolution videos on the devices isn’t helpful. There is no need to shoot every video in the 1080p resolution rather go to the Settings followed by Camera and set the minimum resolution to 720p in order to save on more space.

Monday, November 27, 2017

A number of reports has surfaced online suggesting that will likely be launch the next version of iPhone SE in the first half of 2018. It is been expected that Apple will retain the small size and ergonomic design of the first version of iPhone SE. Some of the reports had even hinted that the production of the iPhone SE 2 is being assembled at an Indian factory in Bengaluru by Apple’s manufacturer Wistron. It is worth noting Apple has assembled quite a number of iPhone SE smartphone at this facility in the past.

Retaining the good things

It is widely speculated that Apple will keep with its launch cycle by bringing the iPhone SE 2 in March 2018 just like it launched the first SE device in the March this year. Apple will not be tinkering with the compact 4inch screen size of the SE as it was selling point of the first device itself. iPhone SE 2 is likely to feature the latest processor A10 Fusion chips along with the features like Touch ID and one camera setup.

It is highly unlikely that Apple will be bringing the FaceID feature to the lower end models anytime soon in order to keep ‘X’ factor of the iPhone 10 alive. The edge-to-edge display is also out of the question for this small iPhone. When it comes to pricing Apple is likely to price the iPhone SE 2 at anywhere around $450. Reports has even hinted that Apple will be targeting the Southeast Asian market with the iPhone SE2 apart from India in order to boost its iPhone sales among the price conscious buyers.

Bringing new features

Apple iPhone doesn’t support dual SIM which has become a major necessity in the modern times. It is highly expected that Apple will start offering the support for dual SIM with the upcoming iPhone SE 2. A insider tip from the renowed KGI analysts named Ming-Chi Kuo also sheds light on the fact that Apple will be launching three new iPhones in 2018. All of these smartphones will featue the Intel’s XMM 7560 and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X20 modems in order to offer better and enhanced LTE data transfer along with support for Dual SIM as well as dual standby.
Get ready for three iPhones in 2018
He also said that the new three models of the iPhone for 2018, two will feature OLED displays while one will come with stable LCD display. One of the surprising speculations made by him is that Apple will be bringing the edge-to-edge display on all the devices just like iPhone X. It is worth noting all the major Android smartphones has started offering some kind of edge-to-edge or bezel less display on all the upcoming smartphone ranging from the budget, mid-range and high end segments. Therefore having all the iPhones with the iPhone X like display will be a smarter and sensible choice on the part of the Apple.

Thursday, November 16, 2017

So the latest buzz in town is that Apple plans on incorporating 3D laser technology into its new iPhone model by the year 2019. After the immense success of the iPhone X Apple plans on recreating history with the new innovation of having a 3D laser camera at the rear of the phone.

The main focus of attention of this camera is going to be on augmented reality. Apple plans on coming out with an AR device in the year after the rumored iPhone that is 2020 or in their words “when technology can cope up with ideas”.

How will Apple’s new iPhone work?

As mentioned earlier the new iPhone will have a rear 3D facing camera. This camera uses a laser to bounce light off objects to determine how far they are and their precise location to one and another. This technique is called time of fight.

Once the time of flight of the scene before the camera is taken, the iPhone can then analyze the measurements and create the scene on the iPhone’s screen, Thereby creating a 3D map of the visual in front of the camera.

Apple has even got this new tech patented. The new laser is known as #22.

How the 3D Laser works?

In basic terms the entire thing works with the help of three components, the first being an image sensor- this captures the image or scene before the camera.

The second component is the optical transmitter- it sends pulses to the scene and objects within it.
The third component is the optical receiver- this part receives pulses from the scene and correlates it into an image on the iPhone’s screen.

Augmented reality and Apple:

The purpose of the 3D camera is the AR glasses that Apple plans on bringing to shelfs by the year 2020 that is one year after the reported iPhone.

Codenamed T228, The new AR headset will have its own operating system and chip and this new IOS will be known as Reality OS.

Apple is testing the waters of AR technology with touch panels, head gestures, Siri and more all to work in conjunction with the 2019 iPhone.

2019 iPhone and AR headset:

There are rumors floating around that the- to- be- made iPhone and the AR headset can be used together.

Apple’s metal casings manufacturer is also rumored to be making parts for their AR headsets as well. The motive is to not only make a sleek looking headset but to also make it light enough for use.
By using the AR headset in tandem with the 2019 iPhone, the wearer can see point of interest in real time on their iPhone screen.

AR headset Patent:

Apple has got the AR headset patented with touch screen display and the ability to work alongside an iPhone. Points of interest can also be seen on the iPhone screen from a real environment. This comes along with interaction functionality.

With the success of the iPhone X, Apple is all set to take the world of tech by storm with its latest market offering and if Apple can live up to the hype, Then they can surely make history with its 2019 iPhone and AR headset.

Friday, November 10, 2017

IPhone X: The Autocorrect Bug

With the release of the iPhone X, Apple has seen some crazy sales, with ques of people queuing up in front of Apple stores for hours and hours on end. Apple is even having to replenish stocks with some customers being on the order list for 4-5 weeks before they get their brand new iPhone X.

After going through all the rigmarole of getting An iPhone X, people are now facing an autocorrect issue. This AutoCorrect bug seems to pertain to the typing of the letter I. It seems when users go to type the letter I they get an A followed by an exclamation mark or an A followed by a question mark in a box, something that looks like this A! or this A[?] when you type it out on the iPhone X.

Number of AutoCorrect Bug cases reported:

The problem seems to persist in only some iPhones while there are cases of the AutoCorrect bug being reported in iPads, iPods and other iPhones as well.

The AutoCorrect bug has not affected the whole population of iPhone X users but it is sufficiently large enough for Apple to take steps to correct the issue.

Reasons of the Autocorrect Bug:

As of now Apple has remained mum on the issue other than to say that the problem may be due to IOS 11.1. But there are users who claim that they have faced this AutoCorrect bug even when their Apple devices are running on previous versions of IOS. But with all issues out there, there are also those who are dedicated to giving some reason or the other for the problem. Some Theorists out there speculate that it is because of both an autocorrect problem and an emoji problem that the bug has cropped up.

Extent of the AutoCorrect Bug:

The problem can be irritating while you are typing and want to be done with the text. But this bug is not only confined to Apple specific apps but to other applications as well. So now even you’re Tweets and various other posts will look like spam considering the amount of times an individual uses or wishes to use the letter I.

Solving the AutoCorrect Bug:

Apple is now saying that they are releasing a new version of IOS which will reportedly solve the AutoCorrect issue. The Beta version of the IOS is all set for release with the actual version coming in the next week or so.

Apple has issued a temporary fix which users can do for themselves by going to settings, general, keyboard, text replacement and adding a new replacement i in the place of I and press save. This is short term solution and hopefully with the new version of IOS we can say bye to all our AutoCorrect woes.

Thursday, November 2, 2017

The news and doubts raised by the new iPhone X, the leap forward of Apple for cell phones

Even if you change your hairstyle or wear glasses, the creators of the new iPhone X ensure that with your facial recognition system you can start your mobile.

The flagship product of Apple, presented on Tuesday in California, comes with an end-to-end screen and no start button. iPhone X is built with steel and glass and will be available in two colors: black and silver.

Face ID in iPhone X is a new form of access to the mobile phone based on the facial recognition of the users and which represents an evolution with respect to the tactile Touch ID method.

In the iPhone X - as the number of years since the first model of this cell phone came out - the frame is barely visible, except for a small part that houses the headset and the front camera.

The most expensive

The screen of the iPhone X - which is expected to cost US $ 999 in its most basic 64 GB model - will also have OLED technology on its screen (organic light emitting diode).

In contrast, Note 8, Samsung's new phone, is on the market at US $ 930 with a similar capacity of 64 GB.

The iPhone 8 has a size of 5.8 "inches (14.7 centimeters) and is provided with a higher resolution.

With a finger upward movement on the screen goes to the mobile home considered as the most advanced and expensive Apple smartphone- that will go on sale in the US. on November 3.

Why so expensive?

"The new design of iPhone X is likely to be the standard for the new generation of iPhone models, but Apple will have to face the challenge of getting enough pieces," said Geoff Blaber, analyst at CCS Insight Consultancy.

Another expert described as "legendary" the ability of the company to make users spend more on their cell phones than those of rival companies.

"There may be an element of price increases to control demand and generate a balance in relation to the number of mobile phones they can produce," said Neil Mawston of Strategy Analytics.

"I suspect that Apple always wanted to sell an iPhone for US $ 1,000. We have seen how prices have risen year after year and there is a lot of pressure from shareholders, "he added.

Fears of the users

Apple acknowledges that users may have concerns about using facial recognition as a method of verification of purchases via Apple Pay or to access the device.

To address that resistance the company said that facial recognition present in iPhone X was safer than fingerprinting. So much so that, theoretically, the possibility of another person stealing the user's identity is one in a million.

It will be necessary to see if indeed this function delivers the expected results.

On the other hand, some analysts have criticized that the iPhone X has not maintained the fingerprint as a second alternative.

"This is the biggest obstacle they have for now in iPhone X," said Carolina Milanesi of Creative Strategies.

"Many consumers will be a bit reluctant to use facial recognition in iPhone X until it is proven to be safe," he added.

Although the iPhone X stole the attention, the company also presented on Tuesday Apple Watch Series 3, Apple TV 4K, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Widely known as the planet’s best Apple analyst on the planet, Ming-Chi Kuo, a KGI Securities analyst is back in the news again, with the revelation that Apple will be making a huge deletion in the new iPhones to come in 2018.

A Macrumors report stated that Apple has made a decision to “abandon” the very famous Touch ID fingerprint sensor and it will not be seen in any of the future generation of iPhones. Kuo states that as an alternative Touch ID will be completely substituted by Face ID, a thrilling yet polarising technology that involves facial recognition which will make its first appearance in the upcoming iPhone X. The logic that Apple applies behind this is that it firmly believes it will gain an advantage competitively via differentiation, according to Kuo, who said it will take many years for the Android-based competitors to match it.

Nonetheless, this is a huge risk that Apple is taking, especially when the Face ID has not yet appeared on the market and this is likely to be a controversial move for many reasons. First and foremost, even if it works as efficiently as the Touch ID, there are many cases where the physical activity of phone unlocking by looking at it will not be as seamless or subtle as utilising your fingerprint. This comprises of almost everything from trying to align your face to the camera and screen while running or walking, utilising Apple Pay while checking out or even discreetly browsing your phone under the table while stuck in a dull meeting.

Secondly, while Apple commits to not accessing your data, Face ID works on the principle of building a thorough 3D model of your face for recognition purposes. So if the concept of your phone gathering your fingerprints was unsettling, then swapping that feature for a digital record of the exact features of your face will not be appealing enough.

Thirdly, biometrics works best when used in combination. For example: using a fingerprint sensor while your face is being scanned. Hence Apple’s decision to substitute one with the other does not do much to enhance security over Touch ID, as tests have proved.

Face ID is surely a very thrilling technology and in the case of the iPhone X, it facilitates a few great secret features, but there’s no solid reason to completely dismiss the idea of Touch ID. It can be included into the power button, the rear of the phone or maybe even beneath the display and having both the options of Face ID and Touch ID being made available to owners to choose from.

Still Apple attempts at thinking different and Kuo says 2018 iPads will see the addition of Face ID but there is no word on it being included on MacBooks and Macs yet. Also, history shows us that Apple is pretty ruthless when it comes to replacing the older technologies with the new and it’s not surprising as these replacements are always justified in the long-run. But while Face ID may match Touch ID in terms of accuracy and speed, there is no solid proof to show that looking at your iPhone to unlock it is quicker or more convenient than using our fingers to do the same.

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Upgraded iPhones – iPhone X/iPhone 8/iPhone 8 Plus

The three updated iPhones this year are the slick all-screen iPhone X, the latest iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, made available with wireless charging.

How does the latest iPhone tend to differ?

The iPhone X has a different appearance in comparison to the other iPhones. It’s more like the Essential Phone and the Samsung Galaxy S8 though with an increase in screen-to-body ratio. On slimming down the bezels and eliminating the home button, Apple seems to have packed a 5.8-inch OLED display in a reduced body than the iPhone 7 Plus together with the iPhone 8 Plus. Towards the top of the display is included an IR camera, for the front facing camera together with an array of sensors - `Dot Projector’ and 1Flood Illumination’.

Moreover, Apple has also switched the aluminium frame utilised from the time of iPhone 6 with a glass back though has maintained the comfortable curved edges that are now of `medical grade’ stainless steel on the iPhone X. Regardless of the claim of Apple that the glass tends to be most durable in a smartphone, glass tends to be a fragile material which would mean that the user would not only have to cope with the likelihood of cracking the display when the phone tends to fall but the rear as well.

At first glance, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus tends to look similar to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus which seems to appear like the iPhone 6, with chunky bezels together with home button/fingerprint reader. Apple has also included a glass back to the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus which tends to make it more delicate than its precursors.

What is the size of the iPhone X in comparison to other phones?

Some users have the penchant to the tiny, easy to use one hand dimensions. The amazing news is the `no bezel’ design which shows that the iPhone X is somewhat the same to the iPhone 8 than the Plus irrespective of its big screen. With regards to statistics, the iPhone X is said to be about 5.2mm taller than an iPhone 8 though the iPhone 8 Plus tends to be a substantial 14.8mm taller than the iPhone X. Moreover the iPhone X also tends ot be the same size as the Samsung Galaxy S8.

How does the iPhone X tends to work without a home button?

In order to get to the Control Centre, user could swipe down from the top of the screen towards the left, swiping down from the right side opens the notifications. These are small changes and not too complex. TouchID that are in-built in the home button have been replaced by FaceID on iPhone X tough TouchID tends to remain on the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus.

What is Face ID?

Since the home button has been eliminated from the iPhone X together with the fingerprint sensor by Apple, it has come up with a standby in the form of Face ID which is a facial-recognition security process enabling the user to unlock their phone with their face. Face ID, unlike Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7, utilises the new depth sensing camera of iPhone X for verifying the features which means that it is unable to be fooled with an image, the way the system of Samsung tends to do. It functions by utilising a `Flood Illuminator’, which provides adequate light for infrared camera as well as `Dot Projector’ for firing `30,000 invisible IR dots’ at one’s face. Thereafter the IR image together with the dot pattern is moved through neural networks for the creation of mathematical model of the face and is then matched to a stored 3D model. The information related to facial is protected by same `secure enclave’ utilised by TouchID while at the same time the data processing is carried on-device rather than of the cloud. Apple has stated that its tech is good enough for FaceID to function in the dark and also if one intends to improve on their looks like grow a beard, wear glasses etc. It’s left to be seen if FaceID would be living up to the promises made by Apple.

Should we care if iPhone X has OLED screen?

The iPhone X is said to be the first phone of Apple to have OLED display though Samsung had been utilising the same in its devices for several years. Apple’s IPS LED displays utilised tend to be good though OLED technology enables richer colours together with deeper blacks which is owing to the ability of turning each single pixel on or off whenever required. Considering stability, OLED seems to be a good upgrade due to its fantastic contrast of OLED screens which seems excellent for videos as well as photos and this is the reason people prefer an OLED TV. Hence it is good news that Apple has made the switch even though it has come up with this idea a bit late.

Are the latest iPhones faster?

The iPhone X and iPhone 8 features a new six-core A11 system-on-a-chip –SoC, comprising of four low-power core together with two performances cores which tend to build on 10nm FinFET manufacturing system rather than the 16nm process of A10 Fusion in the iPhone 7. Apple, on decreasing the process, has filled more transistors in a smaller space enhancing the performance as well as the battery life. Apple has claimed that the iPhone X has the potential of lasting for two hours longer on a charge than the iPhone 7 as well as it is 25% faster on performance cores and 75% faster on the energy efficient cores. In the meanwhile Apple has created its own Graphics Processing Unit – GPU for the A11 SoC breaking off with Imagination Technologies. Both the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus tends to have the same A11 SoC like the iPhone X. But the A11 seems to be a tough sell if one is a user of iPhone 7 and are also new to the features.

Monday, October 9, 2017

New reports have come up regarding problem that no software update would be capable of fixing the complaints of static cracking sound coming from the earpiece of iPhone 8 users. With the recent release of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, two different cases have been exposed of the splitting open of the phone. An owner of the iPhone 8 Plus in Taiwan had stated that her phone had opened up, shortly after it had been kept to be charged. As per local media, Ms Wu, who had purchased her 64GB rose gold phone, Ms Wu, five days earlier, had plugged the device in her charger and three minutes thereafter the the panel towards the front area had started to bulge and had given way. She had been utilising the appropriate Apple supplied charger cable together with the adaptor during the time of charging. She had shipped over the split phone back to Apple in order that the experts could evaluate the strength of the damage and determine the cause for the same. Another report of the iPhone 8 busting open had come from Japan with Twitter user @Magokoro claiming that his phone had been broken already when he had received the same.

Unverified Rumours on Battery

The images which had been posted to Twitter seemed to portray an iPhone 8 Plus that had the front panel somewhat separated from the phone. The next day, more images of the phone had been posted portraying the damages had got even worse with the screen almost totally moved away from the body of the device. This is definitely not the first time Apple faced problems with one of their latest models. With the release of the iPhone 6 in 2014, there had been several reports that the phone had been vulnerable to bending, which resulted in the hashtag #bendgate trending on social media. As per The Next Web, there had been unverified rumours on the battery which had been utilised in the latest iPhone 8 had been built by the same company which had made the battery for Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and Samsung had to recall after various rumours of explosions.

Consistent With Swollen Battery

Some related that the damage caused to the iPhone 8 seems to be consistent with swollen battery though Apple has still to make an official announcement regarding the matter. Though some of the users have been fast in labelling these instances as #splitgate, they have probably been too quick to jump to conclusion. No visible burn marks has been located on the iPhone 8 which may provide any indication of an explosion similar to the one experienced with the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. Moreover, any phone which has been manufactured as well as distributed on a massive scale would definitely include some of the defective models. One would probably not wake up to find out that the new iPhone 9 has split up, till Apple intends to resolves the issue or more cases similar to the earlier two reports, may probably come up.

Friday, September 1, 2017

iPhone 8 – Various New Technologies

The upcoming iPhone 8 of Apple will be coming with various new technologies to its users and one of them is a mainstay of several Android handsets, namely wireless charging.

However, the implementation of Apple will be disappointing to those anticipating for the accepted protocols to be acknowledged. Tim Cook together with his team are expected to lock the iPhone 8 from utilising Apple’s own wireless charging units or the charging units which tend to adhere to the `Made for iPhone’ – MfI program that involves financial payment to Apple from the third-party dealers.

Earlier in the year, when Apple had merged with the Wireless Power Consortium, there seemed to be some expectation that it would adopt the industry standard Qi charging protocol. According to reports from Macotakara, recently recommend that the wireless charging utilised by Apple would be running at just 7.5 watts.

In comparison to the 15 watts that makes up the Qi 1.2 standard. Moreover, it also recommends that the third-party charging pads would require to be licensed through the MfI program. This would clarify in fragment why wireless charging would not be available out of the box rather than waiting for iOS 11 software update to turn on.

Qi Standard

Undoubtedly, part of the iOS charging process would be to verify that the pad providing the inductive power is said to be licensed by Apple and if it is not, the iPhone 8 will decline to receive the incoming charge.

The outcome is that the plethora of charging pads together with the accessories presently available in the markets which tend to be interchangeable with any device that supports the Qi standard would be unable to charge the new iPhones 8.

Apple had intended not to work with the increasing and accepted standard, rather than decide to put up a technological barrier between the charging community together with the iPhone, for instance, the swelling number of public `wireless charging’ spots from companies like AirCharge would be unable to get along with the latest device of Cupertino Company.

Once again Apple had opted to capitalize on the financial returns for its company while ignoring the greater good of endorsing a single standard.

Three Storage Tiers

Though it is appropriate within its right in doing so, the end result tends to give an impression of company which is closed to the wider acceptance of shared technology, is not open to equivalent collaboration.

Moreover it has not considered the extra manufacturing resource which would need to assist two competing standards. According to New York Times, the iPhone 8 would be come at an entry-level of $999.

Media reports for last few months have repeatedly endorsed that the iPhone 8 would be selling in the $1,000 approximate and it appears that Apple would be keeping the price just $1 under this mark in an apparent marketing strategy.

Since Apple will probably deliver three storage tiers with the iPhone 8 generation, it would mean that the most expensive model would be priced at $1,200 and this would surely be a big price for a cellphone. Apple need to firmly deliver an outstanding iPhone 8 unit if it is to validate such a figure.

Monday, August 28, 2017

iPhone Home Button: Ways to repair unresponsive button

The home button of your iPhone is no longer what it is supposed to be? Or does it work in the worst case scenario? Is at first glance looks like a hardware defect could have been superfluous after a simple calibration of the home button.

Unfortunately, it is synonymous with the expensive Apple iPhones despite high quality always times again to hardware problems. For example, it is a known problem that a broken on / off switch often makes anger on the iPhone. Thus, the button initially only shows its function and can only be used by pressing in the left area. After some time, the power button on the iPhone will not work. Many users also complain that the Home Button only works badly or not at all. However, all these problems can be handled with a simple trick.

Calibrate Home Button

Before we look at how a calibration of the Home Button works, we would like to point out that this instruction has not been officially confirmed by Apple. However, many iPhone users have reported in various Internet forums that this route has actually led to the desired success.

As a first step you open any pre-installed app on your iPhone, like the weather, share or calendar app. Keep this app open for the next step, making sure your iPhone does not lock automatically. Now press the power button until the power switch (do not turn off the iPhone). Now you keep the Home Button pressed down until the power off screen disappears and the app is closed.

You should now be back on your Homescreen and the home button of your iPhone should be calibrated again.

If the calibration does not work, you can do the above steps again if you think you have made a mistake.

Repair through AssistiveTouch

Apple offers on each iPhone the possibility to activate a virtual control button, called the Assist Touch. This way you get not only a virtual home button or a virtual on / off switch on your iPhone, but can also call other functions quickly via this button.

After activating the AssistiveTouch button in the settings under "Operating aids", you can now use the bypass switch by pressing the button, select "device" and then "screen lock". The home button can be selected and simulated directly using it.

The AssistiveTouch button is slightly transparent and is always visible in the foreground even when you are in an app. However, the button can be pushed back and forth at will, in some cases, the button is also intelligent and notices, if it is in the way and automatically shifts. If it is above the keyboard. Even multi touch gestures can be carried out via the AssistiveTouch button.

Adjust slipped home button with dock connector cable

A known problem with the Home Button of the iPhone is that it may move with the time minimally downwards - then one can hardly navigate through the menus with the smartphone. This defect can be fixed with a little fingertip feeling and with the dock connector cable of the iPhone. Connect the cable and push it gently upwards towards the screen so that the button is pushed back into the correct position. Experience shows that this is the most frequent way of repairing the home button.

Handle the home button with cleaning fluid or electric toothbrush

Contaminations can also be a problem for the home button - in this case you do not have to repair the button, cleaning can already be sufficient. For this purpose, there are several repair kits, which many iPhone owners swear by. It contains a special cleaning fluid that is applied to the button with a pipette, then the Home Button has to be pressed several times and pressed for a few minutes. Finally, you should leave the smartphone still 15 minutes to rest, as a rule, the stains are removed, and the Home Button works again.

An alternative is the handle to the electric toothbrush. Just press the Home Button and clean it with the brush, it also comes into the fine spaces. Important: Use an unused brush head so that no toothpaste residues penetrate the iPhone.

Lastly, replace the key

If a cleaning is not successful, the key must be replaced. The spare part is available online, you will find detailed instructions for installation also. However, the repair is only recommended if you have some fine mechanical skills and technique. Otherwise, its better give at Apple store for repair.

Summary

A slipped home button can often be adjusted with the Dock Connector cable

Care sets with special cleaning fluids can help in case of contamination

Cleaning with an electric toothbrush is also worth a try

The last possibility is the exchange of the home button - in self-government or through the Apple support

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Apple’s Wireless Charging – Separate Accessory

According to leaked information, the wireless charging feature of Apple’s iPhone 8 could be sold as a separate accessory. An Apple expert, John Gruder had mentioned that the iPhone 8 would operate with a wireless charger though would need an additional accessory for functioning.

Leaked images on the Chinese social media seemed to endorse that Apple has been working on a wireless charger much ahead of its release of the iPhone 8, next month. The charging pads portrayed in the images are likely to be designed for the iPhone 8 though will be sold separately. Moreover they would also work with two other devices possibly known as the iPhone 7s and 7s Plus.

Competitor Android smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S8 tends to have featured wireless charging for several years. The iPhone 7 probably could be the first phone of Apple to comprise of the technology which will permit users to power-up their device without the need of plugging it in by engaging it on an inductive surface.

According to reports, the images of the wireless charging pads are said to have appeared on Chinese social media platform – Weibo and their validity cannot be confirmed. But various reports regarding the iPhone 7 have recommended that wireless charging would be implanted in the phone.

Smart Connector

Robert Hwang, chief executive of Apple supply chain company Wistron, had earlier this year, revealed that the iPhone 8 would be coming with wireless charging and water-proofing. He had informed that new features like waterproof and wireless charging now needs some various testing and waterproof function would be changing the assembly process to some extent. Lead Dubzinski, Powermat CEO had stated that wireless charging would be a standard feature in the next iPhone.

A separate report has claimed that Apple will be utilising the Smart Connector for wireless charging. Apple had earlier filed patents for charging smartphones utilising Wi-Fi signals. However, it seemed that the company would be choosing the inductive technology instead of the signal method for the iPhone 8.

The iPhone 8 if so named has been reported to comprise of an OLED screen, wireless charging, facial recognition, an edge-to-edge display and for the first time, no home button. It will probably be released in early September on 5th or 6th either Tuesday or Wednesday, since the Monday tends to be a US holiday.

Long Range Wireless Charging

In a tweet last night Gruber had explained that he had heard that inductive charging would be sold separately from the iPhone itself something which various other reports had claimed. He also mentioned that the new charging technology could be late and would not launch till iOS 11.1 is released. Gruber compares the delay of wireless charging to the delay of Portrait Mode with the iPhone 7 Plus.

While unveiling the device on stage, Apple had shown Portrait Mode but had not really made it available to the public till the release of iOS 10.1 device a month thereafter. Though at some point of time it had been rumoured that the iPhone 8 would comprise of some type of `long range’ wireless charging, recent rumours have instead attached the feature as inductive charging. Leaked images have hinted that the iPhone 8 would comprise of wireless charging competences depending on the Qi technology.

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Drag & Drop in iOS 11

Apple has introduced various new features with iOS 11which will make the operating system of iPad look and feel like an old-fashioned desktop setting. The significant feature of iOS 11 on the iPad is the drag and drop facility which changes the whole iOS paradigm, integrating a decades-old desktop feature that tends to make it feel like a drag and drop had been waiting for touchscreens to come along.

It appears like all the apps of Apple have got a dose of drag and drop in iOS 11 inclusive of the Maps. The iOS 11 tends to add system-wide drag and drop providing the user with a quick and simple way of moving text, images together with files form one app to another. You could just tap and hold to pick up the content and then drag it to another app.

Multi-Touch, is a new method of selecting multiple items which enables you to pick up various items quickly by tapping. With the spring-loading, you could also copy to another app on dragging the content over the icon of the app in the Dock or on the Home screen. Drag and drop has the benefit of the power of Multi-Touch with the ability of moving content between apps which feels natural on iPad.

Incorporated through all iOS

Tap and hold on an image, a file or selected text and then drag it to where you need it to go. Moreover you could also drag contact, maps, reminders and much more. In the case of spring-loading, one can utilise drag and drop in order to open an app wherein you can move the content from one app to another by going over the icon. Then pick up the content needed to move and hold it over the icon of the app in the Dock or on the Home screen and the app tends to spring open.

Thereafter you can drop the content wherever you desire it to be placed. The iOS 11 has introduced a quick and easy means of selecting various items wherein one can drag one item and thereafter tap others to add to them.

Drag and drop has been incorporated all through iOS and can be utilised in the Home screen, Calendar, Dock Messages, Files, Safari, Contacts, Spotlight, iBooks, News, Notes, Photos, Maps, Keynote, Page and Numbers. By utilising a simple and powerful API one can implement drag and drop in their app.

Official Launch of iOS 11 – This Fall

The new system-wide drag and drop option tends to change the manner one utilises their iDevice. Rather than having to think ahead on what one intends to do, you could get on and do it. For example if one wants to send a location to someone while sending an email in iOS 10 and earlier, you could usually ditch the present email and go to the Maps apps, locate the area and then share it from there.

In Maps a steady drag tends to move the map around like before and to drag a location one should pause a bit after tapping the screen before you tend to drag. While planning a trip you can now run the Maps and Notes app alongside probably with a Safari panel floating above and drag locations into the Notes app as you tend to locate them.

Utilising this feature is simple and you can use drag and drop in Maps. Though the beta tends to be yet a bit buggy, the best option to view Maps drag and drop so far is to open Notes in Split View and then tap and drag a location over to Notes and it is done.

On the iPad under iOS 11, one can start on email and work out other things later. By working in Split Screen one can drag location from Maps, URLs from Safari, images from Photos as well as documents from Files By official launch of iOS 11, this fall, and several more apps would be supporting drag and drop.

Apple – Has the Right Feel

Apple seems to have the right feel and it is quite natural that one scarcely notices the difference and one will find your iPad doing about almost everything that is needed to be done. Owing to this improved medium-long tap, one can bring up information on a location.

You could execute this medium-long tap on any feature one may desire in order to learn more and a little card tends to pop up with the additional information. Should the location be a regular area in a street, then one will have to mark it with a pushpin.

The drag and drop implementations in iOS11 is not just a new feature which has been placed over the prevailing iOS design but has been baked into each area of the operating system. For instance, if one tends to let their finger linger on a link in Safari, it transforms into a little draggable card with the URL and title printed on it ready to be dragged.

Friday, July 28, 2017

FijiO Nifty i l Headphone Amplifer

The 3.5mm headphone jack on the iPhone 7 has been stopped by Apple and the chances are bleak of the same returning on the iPhone 8 and what users having nice wired headphones ought to do? Probably they could utilise the Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter that tends to come shoved with the 7, though it is far from an ideal solution.

It is said to be one of the lowest rated products on the Apple’s site with 209, one and two star reviews. The customers of Apple tend to disapprove of the adapter. The iPhone 7, with FijO.s nifty i1 headphone amplifier together with the digital converter, iPhone 7 users tend to have a better choice. It comes at a price of $39.99 on Amazon in the U.S. and in the UK at £49.99. The Australian price is not fixed though one could expect the same for around AU$80.

Comparing the two adapters, of FijO and Apple, beginning with a Sennheiser Momentum 2.0, the i l’s bass definition packed down equalled with the adapter of Apple. The drums and vibes with `Pink Up’ from Spoon’s `Hot Thoughts’ album tend to have plenty of reverb and the i l seems to sound much clearer than the Apple adapter though lot much but with a difference.

Big Sonic Upgrade Over Apple Adapter

When plugged in the Beverdynamic T51p on-ear headphones. The changes observed were quite obvious. Moreover the Apple adapter seemed to sound muted as well as dull and the i l was said to have more life and energy. The i l had also been tried with some in-ear headphones with the Ultimate Ears UE900 where the difference of the quality of the sound seems only a bit insignificant.

It was not all convincing that i l is a big adequate sonic upgrade over the Apple Adapter with each headphone. But the good news is that considerably improved sound is made available from the AudioQuest DragonFly Black - $99, £89, AU$160, and DragonFly Red - $199, £169, AU$320, portable headphone amplifiers/digital converts which tend to function with iPhones. The no-win situation is they are the size of a USB flash drive and hence they tend to be bigger and much bulkier to carry around than the i l.

Mic & Online Controls

The i l cable is said to have a mic together with the inline controls though the quality of the sound seems to be a bit stifled. There have been occasions where initially the i l had not played music but on unplugging and replugging once of a couple of times, the Lightning connector seems to bring back the sound. The Lightning does not seem to be the most reliable connector for audio devices. The 32-inch cable of the FijO i seems to be too long and could be half the length.

However as it stands, it could be a viable alternative for iPhone users who tend to have decent pair of wired headphone and would prefer something a bit better than the less-than-stellar Lightning adapter of Apple. Hoping that improved adapter does ultimately show up though presently the iPhone 6S may run through which has a 3.5mm headphone jack together with the Lightning connector.